Boat Brief

Put this boat’s instructions one QR code away.

A Boat Brief is a QR code aboard that opens that boat’s startup steps, quirks and equipment locations, with photos. Captains, technicians and guests can scan it on their phones. It also works as a boat startup checklist, with each step in order.

No app or login is needed to read it. The phone does need an internet connection.

Fictional example scan

Tern

Tern is a made-up boat. This guide is written for one hull, not universal instructions.

Getting under way

Tap a step as you go. Ticks stay on the phone for six hours, then clear.

Quirks

The boat pulls to port in reverse. Give it a touch of starboard engine.
Don’t run the water heater on the generator. It trips the breaker.

Where things live

Shore power cordCockpit locker, port
Spare impellersBlue bin, engine room shelf
Life jacketsUnder the forward berth
Fuel shutoffsAft bulkhead, above each tank

Checked Sep 2, 2026. Harbor Yacht Care · (954) 555 0142

What the regular captain knows about this boat

Put the boat’s startup steps, quirks and equipment locations in one guide.

Every boat has details that are not in a manual. A Boat Brief keeps them in one guide written for this boat and maintained by the people who look after it.

Startup and operating procedures

Write the steps in order for things like getting under way, shutting down and switching to generator.

Make critical steps stand out

Flag a step as critical and it stands out on the page, with a note explaining why it matters.

Quirks

Record the things you learn by running this particular boat. It pulls to port in reverse. The forward head needs its breaker on.

Where things live

Show where to find the shore power cord, spare impellers, fuel shutoffs and life jackets on this boat.

Add a photo to any line

A picture of the seacock handle does more than a paragraph about it.

See when the Boat Brief was last checked

The page shows when the Boat Brief was last checked, so the reader can see how current it is.

Who a Boat Brief helps

Whoever is aboard when you aren’t.

Anyone who scans the code opens the same Boat Brief. Update the guide in one place as things aboard change.

Relief and delivery captains
Everything they would otherwise call you about at six in the morning.

Guests and family
Show them how to get under way and what not to run at the same time.

New technicians and subcontractors
Show them where equipment such as strainers and shutoffs is on this boat.

A second code in the engine room.
Put one on the engine room bulkhead by the door. It opens the same Boat Brief.

Control who can keep using a code

Revoke a code when you need to. Mark the boat sold and its codes stop opening the Boat Brief.

A YachtGrade account is needed to create and maintain a Boat Brief. Anyone reading one needs no app or login, but does need an internet connection.

What happens when someone scans

No app or login is needed to read it.The Boat Brief opens in the phone’s browser. An internet connection is required to load it.
Revoke or reissue a QR code when access needs to change.If access needs to change after a lost key or crew change, revoke the old code and issue another.
When a boat is listed for sale, its codes show only the Boat Brief.Whatever else a code was set to show, marking the boat as listed for sale limits it to the Boat Brief.
Mark the boat sold, and its QR codes stop opening the Boat Brief.Every QR code tied to that boat stops working.
Your company name and phone number at the bottom.The Boat Brief shows your company name and phone number.

Print a QR code that is easy to scan

Print and place the code so it keeps scanning.

YachtGrade creates a black on white code sheet with the QR code, the boat’s name, one line of instruction and your company name. The material you print it on determines how well it holds up aboard.

Use a matte finish, not gloss.
Glossy laminate can reflect sunlight and make the QR code harder for a phone camera to scan.

Print the QR code black on white.
Keep brand colors out of the QR code itself. Put your logo beside the code, not behind it.

Start with 50 mm at the helm and 75 mm in the engine room.
Adjust the size for scanning distance and the light where the code will be mounted.

Choose material for where the code will be mounted.
At the helm, use cast vinyl with a UV blocking matte overlaminate or a polycarbonate plate. In the engine room, use anodized aluminum fastened to the bulkhead by the door, not to the engine.

Clean the mounting spot with isopropyl alcohol.
Do not use soapy water. It can leave a film that keeps an adhesive tag from bonding well.

Test the QR code after you mount it.
Scan it in place, in the light it actually gets, before you leave the boat.

For individual boat owners

Two ways to get a Boat Brief aboard.

A Boat Brief can also help an individual owner, especially when other people run the boat.

Ask the company or captain who looks after the boat.
If the company or captain who looks after the boat uses YachtGrade, ask them to create a Boat Brief for it.

Or use YachtGrade yourself.
On a paid plan, $59 a month covers up to 4 boats. A YachtGrade account is required to create and maintain a Boat Brief.

The printable checklist and maintenance log are free too.
A boat inspection checklist and a boat maintenance log, both printable and free with no account.

Keep the Boat Brief current as things aboard change.
Revoke or reissue a code, or update a step when something aboard changes.

Beta invite

Create Boat Briefs on 5 boats, free for life for the first 100 beta members.

The first 100 beta members get 5 boats free for life. No card, no contract. We ask for honest feedback.

Paid plans have money-back guarantees on the first paid months. Your rate is locked for five years while your subscription stays active. Read the guarantees

YachtGrade™

A Boat Brief helps the people aboard. It doesn’t replace its manuals, proper training or the captain’s judgment.